MARGERY KEMPE

'I pray you, Lady, give me leave to handle and kiss His
feet, for at these get I grace.'

Anon, Our Lady gave leave to her and all those that
were about, to do what worship and reverence they would
to that Precious Body.

And anon Mary Magdalene took Our Lord's feet, and
Our Lady's sisters took His hands, one sister one hand
and the other sister the other hand, and wept full sore in
94b kissing those hands and those precious feet And the said
creature thought that she ran ever to and fro, as if she had
been a woman without reason, greatly desiring to have
had the Precious Body by herself alone, so that she might
have wept enough in the presence of that Precious Body,
for she thought that she would have died with weeping
and mourning on His death, for the love that she had for
Him.

And at once she saw Saint John the Evangelist, Joseph
of Arimathea and other friends of Our Lord come, and
want to bury Our Lord's Body, and pray Our Lady that
she would suffer them to bury that Precious Body,

Our Lady said to them: —

*Sirs, would ye take away from me my Son's Body?
I might never look upon Him enough while He lived. I
pray you let me have Him, now He is dead, and part not
me and my Son asunder. And if ye will anyhow bury
Him, I pray you, bury me with Him, for I may not live
without Him/

And the creature thought that they prayed Our Lady
so fair, till at the last Our Lady let them bury her dear
Son with great worship and great reverence, as was fitting
for them to do.

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